A printing apparatus includes a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to a cut sheet, the transfer member including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one rotation. A control unit controls a print head so as to use some areas of the transfer member for the formation of the ink image, and decides, in accordance with a use count of each of the plurality of areas for printing, an area on which an ink image based on print data is formed so as to use, for printing, an area having a use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member, more often than other areas of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A printing apparatus comprising: a conveyance mechanism including a conveyance member for conveying a cut sheet, the conveyance mechanism being configured to convey the cut sheet by moving the conveyance member; a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to the cut sheet, the transfer member having a peripheral length corresponding to a length of the cut sheet to which the ink image can be transferred, and including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one rotation; a print head including a nozzle through which ink is discharged to the transfer member based on print data, the print head being configured to form the ink image on the transfer member in the formation area; a transfer mechanism including a pressing member for pressing a cut sheet to transfer the ink image from the transfer member to the cut sheet conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the transfer area; a memory that stores instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, and configured to execute the instructions to function as: an acquisition unit configured to acquire the print data for forming the ink image on the transfer member, the print data being obtained by performing image processing on data representing an image of a print target; and a control unit configured to control the print head so as to use some areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image and so as not to use remaining areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image, by deciding, in accordance with information on a use count of each area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for printing an image on cut sheets, an area on which an ink image based on the print data is formed so as to use, for printing, an area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, having a use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member, more often than other areas of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, for one of (i) every predetermined time, and (ii) every time printing is executed on a predetermined number of cut sheets, the control unit decides a specific area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, to be used to transfer the ink image of the print data to the cut sheet.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the print head so as to start printing from the area having the use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit sets a number of copies by stopping the formation of the ink image by the print head and the conveyance of the cut sheet by the conveyance mechanism, without stopping rotation of the transfer member, in accordance with a time taken to perform the image processing on the print target, that is determined based on information concerning a period related to processing of image data representing the image of the print target.
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit sets, based on a time, a period during which the formation of the ink image by the print head and the conveyance of the cut sheet by the conveyance mechanism are stopped.
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein using information of a schedule indicating whether to execute printing, the control unit controls whether to stop the formation of the ink image by the print head and the conveyance of the cut sheet by the conveyance mechanism.
7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit generates the information of the schedule based on one of (i) information concerning a time taken to process the image data representing the image of the print target, and (ii) information concerning a time interval at which the conveyance mechanism conveys the cut sheet.
8. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein, during execution of printing, the control unit updates the information of the schedule so as to use the area having the lowest use count for printing.
9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism configured to absorb a liquid component from the ink image formed on the transfer member by making a liquid absorbing member contact the plurality of areas of the transfer member, wherein the liquid absorbing member includes a plurality of areas, respectively corresponding to the plurality of areas of the transfer member, and is configured so that each area, of the plurality of areas, of the liquid absorbing member, contacts the corresponding area, of the plurality of areas, of the transfer member.
10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a heater that generates energy to heat each of the plurality of areas of the transfer member between the print head and the transfer mechanism, wherein the transfer mechanism transfers, to the cut sheet, the ink image heated by the heater.
11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a sensor configured to monitor temperatures of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, wherein, if the temperature of one of the plurality of areas of the transfer member is not lower than a predetermined threshold, the area having a temperature that is not lower than the predetermined threshold is decided to be used as an area where the ink image of the print data is transferred to the cut sheet.
12. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning mechanism including a member for cleaning an obverse layer of each of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
13. A printing system comprising: a conveyance mechanism including a conveyance member for conveying a cut sheet, the conveyance mechanism being configured to convey the cut sheet by moving the conveyance member; a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to the cut sheet, having a peripheral length corresponding to a length of the cut sheet to which the ink image can be transferred, and including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one rotation; a print head including a nozzle through which ink is discharged to the transfer member based on print data, the print head being configured to form the ink image on the transfer member in the formation area; a transfer mechanism including a pressing member for pressing a cut sheet to transfer the ink image from the transfer member to the cut sheet conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the transfer area; a memory that stores instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, and configured to execute the instructions to function as: an acquisition unit configured to acquire the print data for forming the ink image on the transfer member, the print data being obtained by performing image processing on data representing an image of a print target; and a control unit configured to control the print head so as to use some areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image and so as not to use remaining areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image, by deciding, in accordance with information on a use count of each of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for printing an image on cut sheets, an area on which an ink image based on the print data is formed so as to use, for printing, an area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, having a use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member, more often than other areas of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
14. A control method for a system that forms a printed product using a conveyance mechanism including a conveyance member for conveying a cut sheet, the conveyance mechanism being configured to convey the cut sheet by moving the conveyance member, a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to the cut sheet, the transfer member having a peripheral length corresponding to a length of the cut sheet to which the ink image can be transferred, and including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one rotation, a print head including a nozzle through which ink is discharged to the transfer member based on print data, the print head being configured to form the ink image on the transfer member in the formation area, and a transfer mechanism including a pressing member for pressing a cut sheet to transfer the ink image from the transfer member to the cut sheet conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the transfer area, the method comprising: acquiring the print data for forming the ink image on the transfer member, the print data being obtained by performing image processing on data representing an image of a print target; and controlling the print head so as to use some areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image and so as not to use remaining areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image, by deciding, in accordance with information on a use count of each of the plurality of areas of the transfer member for printing an image on cut sheets, an area on which an ink image based on the print data is formed so as to use, for printing, an area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, having a use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member, more often than other areas of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer, included in an apparatus of a system, to perform a control method for the system that forms a printed product using a conveyance mechanism including a conveyance member for conveying a cut sheet, the conveyance mechanism being configured to convey the cut sheet by moving the conveyance member, a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to the cut sheet, the transfer member having a peripheral length corresponding to a length of the cut sheet to which the ink image can be transferred, and including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one rotation, a print head including a nozzle through which ink is discharged to the transfer member based on print data, the print head being configured to form the ink image on the transfer member in the formation area, and a transfer mechanism including a pressing member for pressing a cut sheet to transfer the ink image from the transfer member to the cut sheet conveyed by the conveyance mechanism in the transfer area, the control method comprising: acquiring the print data for forming the ink image on the transfer member, the print data being obtained by performing image processing on data representing an image of a print target; and controlling the print head so as to use some areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image and so as not to use remaining areas, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, for the formation of the ink image, by deciding, in accordance with information on a use count of each of the plurality of areas of the transfer member for printing an image on cut sheets, an area on which an ink image based on the print data is formed so as to use, for printing, an area, of the plurality of areas of the transfer member, having a use count that is lowest, among the plurality of areas of the transfer member, more often than other areas of the plurality of areas of the transfer member.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 26, 2018
February 4, 2020
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